Amateur radio club offers free ham radio classes

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The Orange County amateur Radio Club members set up a demo station at the Algonquin Park Community Day. The group is offering free instructional classes on ham radio use.

GOSHEN — The Orange County Amateur Radio Club will be offering instructional classes starting Sept. 29, 2012, to enable citizens of any age to obtain their first ham radio license. This entry-level license, authorized by the FCC, is called the "Technician Class," and permits two-way radio communication on all amateur frequency bands in the VHF and UHF range. There is no age limitation, and no Morse code requirement. No prior experience is necessary to take these classes.While the instruction is offered free by the club, the Question and Answer license manual is purchased by the student. Classes and license exam will be held at the Orange County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) located at 110 Wells Farm Road in Goshen. Classes are on five Saturday mornings, Sept. 29, Oct. 6, 13, 20 and 27, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Examination is scheduled for the morning of Nov. 3, 2012, administered by certified volunteer examiners.Interested students may register by visiting www.ocarc-ny.org then click on "Ham Classes," use the link there to register (leave “callsign” blank), or call 845-418-6930 to leave a message with your contact information. Registration is open, and space is limited.Licensed hams use radio at all levels of technology - networks, repeaters, a.m., FM, TV, on-air contests, international contacts, space and satellite communication, experimentation, emergency preparedness, and even just "rag-chewing."The Orange County Radio Club Web site is www.ocarc-ny.org. More general amateur radio information is at www.hello-radio.org. For more information, call 845-566-1745.